You know, I'm just finishing a fun Steam Punk murder mystery with a bit of romance from Juno Books (which mostly flies on its characters and dialogue but it does THAT very well indeed - even the named side characters really come alive). I haven't read much about it elsewhere but it's out in mmpb so it wouldn't set you back much: Dru Pagliassotti "Clockwork Heart"
I bought it because of the cover and a bit because of the description but it has truly positivel surprised me. I wish to read the story about a side character in there next, but haven't heard anything about a next novel set in the same city.
It has an excellent action climax near a huge steam work engine filling up a mountain ^^. The heroine is a courier flying with artificial brass wings ^^^.
.. I'll just quote the whole review of J. Hulet at Amazon.com since he/she says it much better:
"4.0 out of 5 stars A blend of genres that works., March 25, 2008 By J. Hulet "Fantasyliterature.net Reviewer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
I really don't know what sort of story this is. It's an adventure, it's a mystery, it's crime novel and a romance kind of all throw into on. Such a complex blend of genre all set in a different world where technology is far behind our modern times in many respects, but has been carefully enough thought out that it makes sense.
At the center of the story is a young woman who works as an Icarus, basically the equivalent of a bicycle messenger only state-sponsored and with wings instead of a bike. The setting is a city-state that supports a caste system of governance. Again, pretty well thought out and not so complicated that you can't follow it. Taya, that main character, is a free-spirited, intelligent, unknowingly pretty protagonist who is drawn into a convoluted series of plots because she happens to be in the right place at the right time to save a woman and child who are members of the highest caste.
Taya is pretty well written and, as is often the case with female main characters in Fantasy works, she blends an interesting combination of stubbornness, willfulness and outright luck. She makes mistakes and causes problems for herself and others as a result and this makes her believable as a character. She is surrounded by a variety of supporting characters that fill their respective places in the story fairly well. No glaringly, out of place supporting cast in this book.
The story follows a fairly quick pace and covers a variety of settings. It's not quite an action/adventure book, but there's enough action to pace the slower social scenes. On the whole, it's well blended. I honestly felt more like I was reading a Urban Fantasy novel than a real Fantasy novel, but the setting is not modern.
If you're looking for traditional Fantasy this is not it. If you are willing to try something that carried hints of Fantasy with no real magic or Knights in shining armor then this is worth the trip. It's not too long and feels in no way like it's the beginning of another series. Kudos to the author for that. "
no subject
http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Heart-Dru-Pagliassotti/dp/0809572567/
I bought it because of the cover and a bit because of the description but it has truly positivel surprised me. I wish to read the story about a side character in there next, but haven't heard anything about a next novel set in the same city.
It has an excellent action climax near a huge steam work engine filling up a mountain ^^. The heroine is a courier flying with artificial brass wings ^^^.
.. I'll just quote the whole review of J. Hulet at Amazon.com since he/she says it much better:
"4.0 out of 5 stars A blend of genres that works., March 25, 2008
By J. Hulet "Fantasyliterature.net Reviewer" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I really don't know what sort of story this is. It's an adventure, it's a mystery, it's crime novel and a romance kind of all throw into on. Such a complex blend of genre all set in a different world where technology is far behind our modern times in many respects, but has been carefully enough thought out that it makes sense.
At the center of the story is a young woman who works as an Icarus, basically the equivalent of a bicycle messenger only state-sponsored and with wings instead of a bike. The setting is a city-state that supports a caste system of governance. Again, pretty well thought out and not so complicated that you can't follow it. Taya, that main character, is a free-spirited, intelligent, unknowingly pretty protagonist who is drawn into a convoluted series of plots because she happens to be in the right place at the right time to save a woman and child who are members of the highest caste.
Taya is pretty well written and, as is often the case with female main characters in Fantasy works, she blends an interesting combination of stubbornness, willfulness and outright luck. She makes mistakes and causes problems for herself and others as a result and this makes her believable as a character. She is surrounded by a variety of supporting characters that fill their respective places in the story fairly well. No glaringly, out of place supporting cast in this book.
The story follows a fairly quick pace and covers a variety of settings. It's not quite an action/adventure book, but there's enough action to pace the slower social scenes. On the whole, it's well blended. I honestly felt more like I was reading a Urban Fantasy novel than a real Fantasy novel, but the setting is not modern.
If you're looking for traditional Fantasy this is not it. If you are willing to try something that carried hints of Fantasy with no real magic or Knights in shining armor then this is worth the trip. It's not too long and feels in no way like it's the beginning of another series. Kudos to the author for that. "